Say yes or no to the face mask?

[Sweet Lou]

Usage has increased but use is still very uncommon in college. My observation has been the older, more elite the play the fewer masks present. Could be they do not want the stigma attached, they do not need them, or both.

IDK, there was a time hockey goalies didn't wear masks.
MLB catcher gear has evolved quite a over the last century +
I'm sure stigma of wearing a mask and the attitude that I've never worn one before have a lot to do with it.
I think rules like dantay17 describe will become more and more common as time goes by.

 

[MNDad]

I often wonder why there’s so much fervor surrounding the issue of facemasks and not other protective gear such as mouth guards. Both offer similar protection, yet very few call for mouth guards to be mandated.

I get the sense that the larger issue is mask acceptance. Kids don’t like the masks because they’re ugly or they make girls stand out. I think some want them mandated so it’s easier to get their DD’s to wear theirs. I made my DD wear hers through 14U and never had a problem. I was surprised how many times other parents would ask how I got her to wear it. Simple, I told her to. As her defensive skills improved and college recruiting heated up I left the choice up to her. I think they’re a good idea, but I’d have trouble mandating them.

It would be reasonable to assume the masks provide greater safety, but do we really know? I’d love to see a study if anyone has found one. There aren’t any safety standards that I’m aware of. Which masks are safe and which aren’t? Does the mask prevent injury or redistribute it to another part of the face? What happens when an organization mandates masks and a kid gets hurt and blames the mask? All of a sudden you’re on the hook for forcing a kid to wear an unapproved item that contributed to his injury. Quite a slippery slope.

 

[riseball]

I often wonder why there’s so much fervor surrounding the issue of facemasks and not other protective gear such as mouth guards. Both offer similar protection, yet very few call for mouth guards to be mandated.

I get the sense that the larger issue is mask acceptance. Kids don’t like the masks because they’re ugly or they make girls stand out. I think some want them mandated so it’s easier to get their DD’s to wear theirs. I made my DD wear hers through 14U and never had a problem. I was surprised how many times other parents would ask how I got her to wear it. Simple, I told her to. As her defensive skills improved and college recruiting heated up I left the choice up to her. I think they’re a good idea, but I’d have trouble mandating them.

It would be reasonable to assume the masks provide greater safety, but do we really know? I’d love to see a study if anyone has found one. There aren’t any safety standards that I’m aware of. Which masks are safe and which aren’t? Does the mask prevent injury or redistribute it to another part of the face? What happens when an organization mandates masks and a kid gets hurt and blames the mask? All of a sudden you’re on the hook for forcing a kid to wear an unapproved item that contributed to his injury. Quite a slippery slope.

Nailed it!!! That is why most of the posts deal with anything resembling hard evidence. Typical posts are anecdotal and filled with emotion questioning how any rational person would not be liked minded and join them in lock step. Even to the point where they advocate mandating use to protect kids against terrible unenlightened parents. Some posts seem intended to garner validation of their decision making process. "Yes, you made a good decision and you are a capable parent."

Not sure why it is not enough for people to make an informed decision and right or wrong just live with it. It reminds me if the people who purchase hybrids and carbon credits. If you do not have the same passion as them you are just a mindless neanderthal endangering the well being of society. "So you do not believe in protecting children?" I have two players on my 18U team that wear a mask. Personally I do not care if they do or they don't. It is between them and their parents. All I care about is if they can field the ball cleanly and make a play with the game on the line and a college coach watching.

 

[Eric F]

Observations from 10U rec ball (including all-stars)...
- It is not uncommon to see 1 or more infielders wearing a mask. More than once, I have seen the pitcher and all infielders wearing masks.
- It is the kids who are asking to wear a mask as often maybe more often) than it is the parents mandating them to do so.
- Wearing a mask is not an indicator of inferior fielding skills. More often, I see the opposite.

 

[pctrips]

My daughter decided on her own that she wanted to wear the mask. All it took was one ball to the face and a busted lip during practice when she was 9. Maybe at some point her confidence in her fielding ability will overtake her desire to protect herself. I wouldn't push her one way or the other unless she played 3rd or pitcher.

 

[riseball]

Observations from 10U rec ball (including all-stars)...
- It is not uncommon to see 1 or more infielders wearing a mask. More than once, I have seen the pitcher and all infielders wearing masks.
- It is the kids who are asking to wear a mask as often maybe more often) than it is the parents mandating them to do so.
- Wearing a mask is not an indicator of inferior fielding skills. More often, I see the opposite.

With regard to your second point - How did you come by this information?

 

[Eric F]

With regard to your second point - How did you come by this information?

This is what I have experienced, witnessed, and been told about with my DD and her 10U teammates during my time as an AC of my DD's teams.

 

[fastpitchdad8]

I often wonder why there’s so much fervor surrounding the issue of facemasks and not other protective gear such as mouth guards. Both offer similar protection, yet very few call for mouth guards to be mandated.

I get the sense that the larger issue is mask acceptance.

And yet I've never heard anyone say anything disparaging (sp) about mouth gaurds like ppl do about facemasks. Why is that?

 

[riseball]

And yet I've never heard anyone say anything disparaging (sp) about mouth gaurds like ppl do about facemasks. Why is that?

You can start with that a mouth guard is not obtrusive and does not hang off your face. From the input received from my players yesterday helicopter parents are part of the problem. I have noticed that the same evangelizing found in posts on DFP can be heard at the ball field. In the middle of a practice when Sally transitions from OF to IF and a parent yells "Sally, make sure you go get your mask." you just contributed to the stigma. Now add a "discussion" between the parent and the player when the player protests the parental directive from the stands and things go from bad to worse. You just became "that parent" and your kid is now "that player". Worse yet all the other players wearing masks are now guilty by association. Maybe a bit more discretion and tact is in order. Nagging a young lady in front of her peers about a mask is akin to a baseball mom yelling "Billy, are you wearing your cup?" - a memory that will hopefully fade by the time they graduate from college. Masks are a useful piece of gear but it is not life or death.

 

[colin]

lets stick to the facts. at third or pitcher a hot liner to the face is not defensible by reflex. i think pobguy could give the numbers. my daughters wear masks because they do not understand the risk involved.